A Command to Be Very

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn it from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Joshua 1:7

The Lord not only told Joshua to be courageous, but very courageous. I wonder if the Lord added the emphasis of an adverb before the adjective “courageous” because of Joshua’s extreme circumstances? His new job was to lead two million people into a new land and conquer it. Even though Joshua had grown to be a strong leader from assisting Moses for many years, I can imagine he may have felt extremely challenged for this upcoming new adventure!

But Joshua did not hesitate, did not measure the pros and cons, or run to his friends for advise. Instead, he ordered and directed the people to ready themselves for their journey to cross the Jordan, to the land the Lord was giving to them. While directing their next steps, Joshua reminded the people of Moses commands and the Lord’s promises, and the people obeyed their leader knowing they were also being faithful to God’s plan. And they too, encouraged Joshua to “be strong and courageous!” (v.18)

When facing new challenges, I can be very hesitant to take the next step. I want to be very sure so the outcome will be successful, on my terms. I can measure my success by my circle of influence expanding, or my finances increasing, or by the amount of ‘likes’ I’m receiving. Yet, unlike the worldly definition of success, success in God’s eyes is for us to be strong and very courageous through obeying and following His word. It’s being faithful to His plan for our lives. He directs us when we turn toward Him. And then we can rest in His promise that we will be successful wherever we go.

Lord, thank You for always being with me and directing my way. Even though my situations can get tough, and challenging, I know you are with me. May I always keep my eyes on You, may I always turn to You, for when I do life with You, I will be successful in Your eyes wherever I go. Amen

And may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

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23 thoughts on “A Command to Be Very”

I believe God is calling me to be very courageous and strong in my writing. I need to keep sharing stories that glorify Him. 🙂 From stories for children to stories for grownups, I want to show His love and glory.

It is good to know God is with us. He leads us if we would only follow,

I have a couple family connections He is healing. One step at a time, one thing and then another. I can’t see ahead of me, but I can hear His voice. Send her a card. Give her a call. Say happy birthday. And the biggie… Invite her.

That’s so wonderful to read, Sandi, that God is healing family connections. Yes, one step at a time, and in His timing. We do need to do our part and be very courageous which can be very, very courageous when it comes to family!

Hi Lynn. I believe God is stressing more lately that I need to be courageous when it comes to being more authentic. To more intentionally let go of expectations of others or from myself and of the need for approval from people. To listen more to God’s nudges and whispers instead of being cowered by what people say or think of me and my own God-given intuitions. Thank you for the encouragement! Love and blessings to you!

Letting go of others expectations and opinions can be tough as God built us to be relational! I pray God brings you others with encouraging words to help you follow those nudges and whispers from Him. You are such a blessing and He so wants you to shine even brighter for Him, lighting up others with His love.

Thank you Lynn, I think God wants me to be strong and courageous for one of my good friends who was just diagnosed with cancer. I pray God will guide me as to how I can love and help him and his wife during this scary time. Ker

Lynn, courage can be so hard sometimes. I so appreciate the way you highlighted God’s words to Joshua. And what you said here: “success in God’s eyes is for us to be strong and very courageous through obeying and following His word.” This is pivotal. We tend to define success by lesser things. God defines it by how well we choose to trust and obey (to put it very simplistically). We honor Him when we obey and trust, don’t we?

Always enjoy your reading,The word of the year for me is courageous and it has meaning behind it.
Goes right along with confess and repent.To be courageous or have faith in what the Lord has done for the heavy price he paid for all whom believe in him .
For as Jesus said to Our father take this cup from me yet not my will ,yet your will be done
I will praise your Holy name Amen

I believe God is giving me courage to write a book. For 10 years I have been saying, “I am going to write a book.” It’s taken me that long to get the courage to say, “I am writing a book.” It seem over whelming to me most of the time and I am only got 2 chapters in rough draft. Before I put it out there God used many people to encourage me to do this but again, fear took over and I would start a line or two or maybe even a paragraph but never a chapter. Just saying the words, I am writing a book, gives me courage. Great post. Lynn.

Fear can grip us in it’s grasp, yet God promises we can overcome! I’m glad to read how God has brought encouragers into your life to continue your writing journey. It is very courageous, to write for many reasons! I look forward to reading your God-inspired words!

Lynn, good morning! I’m a bit late to the party, but I’m excited to see you talk about the first chapter of Joshua. What’s hit me often is how God repeatedly, over and over, tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. Not just once.

Sometimes fear makes us slow learners. And He is compassionate to continue to remind us of all of who He is!

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